Button-pushing talk jock John DePetro infuriated women across the Hub yesterday by suggesting a Boston woman was partly to blame for her own gruesome rape and murder in New York City because she was partying late.

WRKO midmorning host DePetro late yesterday denied blaming Imette St. Guillen for her demise, but said being out alone at 4 a.m. and drinking with strangers was “asking for trouble” and that women must use “common sense.”

“As tragic as it is, your first reaction is she should not have been out alone at 3 or 4 a.m. in the morning because look at what can happen,” DePetro said. “I wasn’t wrong. I went on the air and people said I was right on.”

But the talk host’s blame-the-victim tone during his WRKO radio morning show enraged some women listeners - and activists.

St. Guillen, 24, was raped and killed after a night of drinking at a Manhattan bar. She had stayed out alone after arguing with a friend. Her naked, bound body was discovered Saturday night.

While theRadio Equalizer didn't hear the show in question, coincidently, we did encounter DePetro immediately after his Wednesday program ended.

In talking with him, there was no indication of the controversy to come. Perhaps he hadn't yet had a full sense of the emerging firestorm.

As with any talk radio controversy, context is everything. Some of the feminists denouncing him yesterday also hadn't actually heard the program. Today, DePetro featured at least one critic on his show.

Where this goes next, if anywhere, is anyone's guess. Whether the publicity is good or bad, however, at least increasingly-sleepy New England talk radio is again showing much-needed signs of life.

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4 Comments:

1) Rush Limbaugh, on his Feb 14 radio show, in talking about the Ohio Hackett/Brown Democratic Primary, said:a. “And don’t forget, Sherrord Brown is black” – this was not a lie, but a mistakeb. He then said, “There’s a racial component here, too” 2) Rush was then informed by listeners via e-mails that Brown was not black, and was, in fact, white. Paul Hackett was white, as well3) Therefore, there was no “racial element” to the story at all4) Rush “corrected” his mistake that Brown was black, but DID NOT retract or apologize for the “racial element” remark

He made up the “racial element” angle, obviously. This was Rush’s lie. His next lie:

1) He said “I’m not gonna apologize, ‘cause I don’t think it’s an insult to be black”2) Of course, this is a lie, too, because he should be apologizing for making up the “racial component” of the story

http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2006/02/rush-limbaugh-cincinnati-sherrod-brown.html (the link on Brian’s page is about to disappear forever)

Brian Maloney then reported on the story on Feb 20. He related the story as if the only element was the “error” Rush Limbaugh Made about Brown’s race.

Of course, the real story was the “racial component” that Rush made up and then refused to retract.

Hence, Brian lied as well.

The elements of the story as I’ve stated above are incontrovertible fact.

But don’t believe me, and don’t believe anyone else - Research for yourselves.

The victim in NYC was getting into a cab, and that cab driver tortured and killed her. They think that this cab driver did this to someone else a month ago too. Many people take these non-yellow, non TLC cabs, because somethimes you can't find a traditional yellow cab, everyoone does that.

It is so terrible that there are preditors out there. Opportunistic preditors seek out the most vulnerable. It is tragic, and they fear that this guy may strike again. They better catch him soon.

Generally when people blame the victim, and also, many victims blame themselves-with woulda, coulda shoulda's, it is about trying to some how feel as though there is some control of the situation, thus you feel less vulnerable, that you could have control over such a radom and terrible act.

This guy was right. When you put yourself into risky situations like this, you're...well- you're putting yourself AT RISK. This is why we call them risky situations.

I'm not completely sure of all the facts, but it seems as if she left the club at 4 AM drunk and alone. Any parent on earth would slap their child (no matter how old they are) upside their head if they decided to do this, and let's face it- women, in this situation, are at a much higher risk than men.

He's not blaming the victim, he's simply doing what any parent would have done- preaching responsibility and common sense. If we attack this sort of thing, we're telling young people everywhere that you can do whatever you want, get drunk, go clubbing, stay out all night long, go out and do this all alone, and never worry about the consequences or risks involved.

With this logic- we'd have to shy away from all talks on common sense and risk management and responsibility. If these things are such a sin- what's left to tell our children, besides 'go out and do whatever you want, to hell with the risks'??